


When The Shoe Fits

by Ayearandaday



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cinderella Elements, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Devoted Reylo, F/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 13:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19395208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayearandaday/pseuds/Ayearandaday
Summary: Ben, Crown Prince of Alderaan, meets Kira at the masquerade ball. She escapes before midnight with his heart and apparently his grandmother's crown. Will Ben be able to find her?





	When The Shoe Fits

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on something I read as a child because everything one way or another turns into Reylo. Enjoy!

Ben stared at his reflection. His designer tux fit spot-on, his hair lied in effortless waves, his dress shoes were polished like mirrors. He looked perfectly well-put. He felt hollow.  
The exhibition in the Coruscant Museum of Arts was going to be the first big public appearance of him and his mother, the Queen of Alderaan, after his father’s death. Half a year later they still mourned deeply, but Leia Organa-Solo believed in duty and her duty as a Queen was to open the exhibition of royal jewelry of Alderaan and Naboo, an event her dear friend Amilyn Holdo poured all her soul into. For a whole month priceless pieces that belonged to the royal lines of two countries were going to be openly displayed for public view, with a masquerade ball as the grand opening. Like a dutiful son he was, Ben was accompanying his mother but he felt no excitement for the evening.  
“You look very dashing, honey,” she smiled in the mirror. Despite her loss Leia looked as regal as always with her elegant black embroidered dress and complicated braided hairstyle. He smiled back softly.  
“Thanks.”  
“Your father would be proud,” his mother said adjusting his bow-tie. Ben’s face fell as guilt washed over him. Han proud of his son having fun so soon after?..  
“Mom.” Leia sighed.  
“He would, you know that. Han loved you and he would never want you feel this way.” She gently caressed his cheek. “None of it was your fault, sweetie.” Ben closed his eyes. His mother was right, it wasn’t anyone’s fault that his father had heart attack, but still…  
“I know. It’s just… I wish we had more time together.” At that Leia smiled sadly.  
“Me too. But you know what your father would want? For you to continue living your life. Please, Ben, let go just for tonight,” she asked handing him his mask. He patted her hand.  
“I’ll try.”

The ball was exactly what he expected – full of rich and mighty people who wanted to get into his and his mother’s good grace. It didn’t help that Ben had no date thus making himself a center of unwanted female attention. The mask didn’t really help, after all, everyone here knew everyone else and with his height he had little chance to be left unnoticed.   
He was deep in discussion with Lando Calrissian, a businessman, benefactor, art lover and his father’s friend when he accidentally lifted his head and saw her. She was a vision in golden dress, a tasteful slit exposing long beautiful leg. Her figure was slim and delicate, her pretty face partially obscured by golden mask, though he couldn’t look away from her pouty pink lips. Her chestnut hair in loose curls framed her face delicately. She was the most attractive creature Ben saw in his life.  
Completely enchanted, he excused himself and surrendered to the enormous pull he felt to this woman.   
“May I have this dance, my lady?” Ben inquired huskily. The woman flushed.  
“Oh, um, I’m not very good at dancing,” she replied shyly. He blinked in surprise. None of the ladies in attendance would refuse. Well, none of them probably would be able to blush. He smiled bemusedly.  
“I highly doubt that. Besides, I’ll be the one leading.” Ben leaned closer to her ear making the woman shudder. “I’m quite decent at it, I’ve been told.” She looked at him curiously.  
“Are you? Good to know.” Her tone made him pause.  
“You don’t know me?” he asked incredulously. That was almost impossible. He might not know her, but everyone knew him. The woman shook her head innocently.  
“No. Have we met?” Ben was stunned. Somehow the universe gave him a precious gift of this beautiful creature who had no idea of the burden and responsibility he had on his shoulders. He shook his head violently.  
“No, no, I would remember you. What is your name, precious?”  
“Kira,” she replied with a blush.  
“Kira.” The name rolled pleasantly on his tongue. Than a mischief went through his head. “I’m Kylo.” Kira smiled shyly.  
“Nice to meet you.”   
“The pleasure is all mine,” Ben responded smoothly. “Shall we?”  
The hours in Kira’s companies flew in a blink of an eye. She fit perfectly against him while they danced as if she was born to be in his arms. When her shyness disappeared Ben discovered that she was smart and witty and not one bit conceited unlike the women he was usually surrounded by. Kira was a breeze of a fresh air and for the first time in his life Ben fell that hard and fast. She wasn’t just another woman – she was the one.  
Somehow Kira didn’t recognize him as a prince. He both dreaded and longed for midnight, to take off his mask and to open up to her. Something told him that she would understand. And then maybe they can get to know each other better. Ben already could see how happy his mother would be to meet this sweet girl.  
He ushered her back into the ballroom from the balcony where they were hiding from the crowd.  
“Come on. It’s almost midnight.” Kira gasped.  
“What?”  
“The exhibition will open soon,” Ben raised his voice so that she could hear him. “We can’t miss this.” She slipped her small hand from his. Ben turned out only to see a look of pure torture on her face.  
“I… Sorry, I have to go. Please, forgive me,” she said before disappearing into the crowd.  
“Wait!” he called desperately. Kira was gone.  
His search for her was futile.  
“The woman in golden dress – have you seen her?” Ben asked frantically again and again only to receive refusal. Somehow Kira vanished from the face of the earth right in the middle of the crowded ballroom. When he lost all hope he bumped into Armitage Hux, his royal advisor.  
“Ben, where were you? We have an emergency!” the redhead whispered hotly.  
“Yes, we have!” he responded in kind. “I have lost the woman of my dreams!”  
“And we have lost your grandmother’s crown!” Hux hissed. Ben’s eyes bulged from his head. The delicate circlet of Padme Amidala Naberrie, Leia’s biological mother, was the center piece of the exhibition.  
“What? How?”  
“That’s what we are trying to figure out,” Hux sighed.

Ben sit in a conference room pinching the bridge of his nose. They managed to do the damage control presenting the copy of the crown and, while general public was none the wiser, Leia gathered the council. She, her brother Luke Skywalker, the Duke of Anch-To, Armitage Hux, Gwen Phasma, Head of Security, Dopheld Mitaka, IT expert, Bazine Netal, intelligence officer and Poe Dameron, Leia’s PA, were the only people fully aware of the situation.  
Armitage was reporting on what his team had discovered so far and Ben contemplated how his life would never be the same again.  
“And then I reasonably assumed that since we are dealing with not one, but two disappearances, there is a possibility that they are connected.” Luke nodded.   
“Reasonable indeed.”   
“Can we get to the matter on hand?” Ben snapped  
“Yes,” Hux nodded curtly. “Mitaka?” The man turned on the feed from security cameras. “As you can see, here is our suspect,” the ginger pointed out Kira.  
“She is not a suspect,” Ben growled.  
“Very well, here is our Cinderella,” Hux rolled his eyes. “Dancing, mingling and generally canoodling.”  
“Hux!”  
“Ben,” gently chastised Leia. “Go on.”  
“Half before midnight she escapes from our Prince Charming,” he pointed out the moment, “and disappears from the feed altogether until… here.” On the feed Kira was running one of the internal corridors.   
“What is she doing?” frowned Ben.  
“She is not supposed to be there,” commented Phasma.  
“Just watch,” interjected Hux. On the feed Kira through several interconnected corridors reached the back entrance of the depository. Then Ben’s jaw dropped ant his world tilted on its axe.  
“How?”   
“What the hell?” gasped Phasma.  
“Did she just disabled the alarm with the heel of her shoes and a pair of earrings?!” asked Netal incredulously.  
“Apparently,” commented Hux.  
“Bloody hell!” said Dameron in amazement. “Just like that?”  
“How did she managed to leave the building?” asked Leia calmly ignoring everyone’s shock.   
“That’s the thing. She didn’t,” replied Hux.  
“Not possible,” pointed out Luke.  
“We checked the feed. She didn’t go in, she didn’t go out. There was no one on guests list called Kira.” The ginger turned to Ben apologetically. “You basically danced with ghost.” The blood pounded in his ears. His Kira, sweet beautiful innocent Kira was… Well, who actually was she?  
“Ghosts don’t steal jewellery,” quipped Gwen.  
“True. She must be a real professional,” agreed Dameron.  
“I wouldn’t say so,” Bazine interjected with a frown. “Phas, take a look.” The blonde nodded.  
“You are right. She is good, but no pro. Though the girl knows her way around electronics.”  
“Great,” muttered Hux, “you have not only romanced a thief, but an amateur. We could have probably reached an agreement with professional…” Ben dropped his head in his hands drowning in guilt.   
“What have I done?” he whispered.  
“Ben,” Leia gently tugged his hands away.  
“I… I just… Mom, she is a criminal,” he said desperately, his heart breaking.  
“You don’t know that.”  
“I have to disagree, Your Majesty,” interjected Hux.  
“Armitage, you are good enough to know that things are not what they usually seem,” Leia said softly. “Gwendoline, dear, you said the girl is not a pro. Why?”   
“The way she moves, her timing, basically everything. And a professional wouldn’t be distracted by a pair of pretty eyes,” the blonde smirked. Ben looked at her incredulously.  
“And her dress – it’s not even the last season,” added Bazine. “Doph, can you zoom it? See? Her jewelry – I think it’s hand-made, no stones, only metal wires. Whoever did it was quite talented, but it’s not a jeweler.”  
“Interesting. Do we have her shoe?” Leia hummed.  
“We retrieved it from the security,” said Hux handing her a clear packed with golden sandal.  
“It seems to be worn quite a bit,” the Queen hummed pensively.  
“So, crafty kleptomaniac with substantial electronic knowledge. What does it give us?” asked Armitage. Ben looked at his mother with the same question.  
“It gives us a resourceful creative young woman without significant means who knows how to work with her hands,” resolute Leia, completely nonplussed. “Have we checked the personnel?”  
“Yes, of course.”  
“Even those who worked here the day before yesterday?” asked Luke.   
“No?” Hux blinked. “Shit! Sorry, Your Majesty.” Leia simply smiled. “Mitaka, the feed.”  
“On it.” The man went through several videos.  
“Stop!” Ben commanded. “That’s her, I know that.” He could recognise anywhere the gentle slope of her shoulders, her graceful figure, her radiant smile. That was ‘Kira’, unmasked and beautiful.  
“We have the face, now we need the name,” Armitage nodded.  
“Give me an hour,” grinned Dameron snatching the printed screenshots.  
“What are we going to do now?” asked Ben, still shell-shocked.  
“What are you going to do?” questioned his uncle.  
“I don’t know. She is a criminal but I can’t hurt her in any way,” he replied truthfully. Harming Kira would kill him.  
“You have compassion for her,” Luke observed.  
“Or something else,” smirked Gwen.  
“How can you say it?” demanded Hux only adding to his confusion. “After everything you saw?”  
“Well, his father was not a paragon of virtue either,” smiled the Queen fondly. “What I can see is that this girl made my son feel alive for the first time in months and it has more value for me than our whole treasury.”  
“Your Majesty!” The ginger sounded appalled.  
“What your mother is trying to say is that whoever she is, this young woman deserves a chance to explain herself,” added Luke. “I believe there is more to this than we know.”  
“And if her words are not enough, just send her my way and I’ll hire her in a heartbeat,” quipped Netal.  
“Will do,” Ben nodded dutifully. They were interrupted by the knock on the door. Dameron came back.  
“Excuse me? There is someone I want you to meet.” He ushered inside a dark-haired girl. “This is Jessica, she is one of the catering company managers.”  
“Good morning,” she smiled uncomfortably.  
“Jess, please, repeat what you told me earlier. Do you know this woman?” Dameron pointed the screenshots. The girl nodded.  
“This is Rey, she works for us occasionally. You know, to help with college bills.” Leia nodded. “She doesn’t have parents to support her. A diligent hard worker,” Jess added in afterthought. Ben frowned. No parents?   
“Was she here last night?” Poe asked.  
“Um, no, Rey called in sick. Is she in trouble?” Jessica looked genuinely worried.  
“No, no, she just lost something we’d like to return,” Poe grinned widely.  
“You sure? Rey is one of the nicest people I’ve met and life wasn’t kind to her. I don’t want something to happen to her because of me,” the woman stated. Leia shared a look with Luke. Both smiled.  
“I promise, nothing bad is will. Come on,” Poe followed her outside.  
“Doph?” prompted Gwen.  
“Rey Smith, twenty-two, Mechanical Engineering student, no relatives, foster care, lives in the middle of nowhere, waits tables at Niima Outpost,” the man reported dutifully. Ben perked up. Hux looked at him for a long beat then sighed defeated.  
“We can work with that. Come on, guys, there is a work to do.”

Ben stood in front of Niima Outpost, a cheap dinner, with his heart in his throat. As much as he was ashamed to admit, meeting with ‘Kira’ scared him. His team found out anything that was humanly possible and he had enough insight on her motives to forgive her, but none of it let him know how her feelings. Ben knew what he wanted from her – companionship, devotion, love, future. But wat did _Rey_ wanted? He was going to risk everything and be possibly left with broken heart. Even so a possibility of something with her was better than nothing. Ben took a breath. He walked in.  
The dinner was already full. He squeezed himself in the farthest booth waiting for a waitress. Just like Ben expected, several minutes later ‘Kira’ showed on wearing a simple beige uniform with an apron, her nose in her notebook.  
“Welcome to Niima Outpost, what can I get you?” she chirped in happy customer-service voice. Ben hungrily took her in. She looked worried and tired, dark bags under her eyes, her hair in a messy bun. She was breathtakingly beautiful.  
“Hello, Kira,” he responded. The girl immediately jerked her head, her eyes wide.  
“K-Kylo?” she stammered palling.   
“It’s Ben. Or actually Benjamin Bail Chewbacca Organa-Solo Amidala Naberrie, Prince of Alderaan”. He stared at her intently. The girl looked shocked.  
“I need to sit down,” she said faintly. Ben had to force himself to stay put and not to gather her in his arms.  
“Be my guest, Rey.” She looked bewildered.  
“You know who I am.” It came out as a statement. He felt no need to deny the obvious.  
“Yes.”  
“You know what I did.” Rey sounded resigned.  
“Yes.” She swallowed. Ben’s heart broke at the sight of her distress but he needed to hear her out.  
“I’m sorry, but I can’t return the crown, I no longer have it,” Rey said shakily, her eyes cast down.  
“I know that already,” he responded evenly. She blinked.  
“Then why?... Of course,” Rey nodded to herself. “Please, ask the police not to make a scene, I’ll go willingly.” Ben stared at her, flabbergasted. Police?  
“What?” His poor girl looked as if she barely kept herself from crying.  
“I’ll confess everything. Yes, I sneaked into the ball and stole the crown. There were no accomplices, I was alone. I’ve sold it later, but you know that already. I don’t have the money anymore either.” She sniffed and added quietly. “I am really, really sorry.” Every instincts pushed him to kiss her tears away but he had to find out the truth.  
“Why?” Rey frowned.  
“Why I’m sorry? It was a wrong thing to do, especially to lie to you like that.” She bit her lip, looking down. “I don’t regret the dance, though, it was probably the first time I felt myself seen, not that it matters,” she smiled sadly.  
“No, I mean why did you do it?” Ben pressed, his heart pounding.   
“Truthfully? To help my brother. My foster brother,” she added as he frowned. “He is a good person, the only family I have, but he got mixed with bad people and they forced him into bad things and then he owed them a lot and they started threatening…” Rey hastily wiped down a stray tear. “I just couldn’t let them kill him, he is all I have. Please, don’t look for him, he had no idea what I was going to do.” He steeled himself. Just one more thing.  
“Why the crown?” She flushed.  
“It looked the cheapest.” Ben’s brows raised into the hairline. “I’m sorry. It’s just there were no sparkly stones or anything.” How? How could she not know? He chuckled incredulously.   
“You have no idea what you took. It’s the Crown of Naboo, it’s more than five hundred years old and priceless. And belonged to my grandmother.” Rey paled.  
“I’m so sorry, I had no idea.” She got up and looked at him, resigned. “I’m ready, let’s go.” Ben frowned.  
“Where?”   
“The police.” Poor girl sounded confused.  
“Why would we go there?”  
“Because I stole your grandmother’s crown?” Rey asked with puzzled expression. It made him smirk. Ben opened his briefcase showing her the Crown of Naboo resting safely inside.  
“This one?”  
“How?” she gasped.  
“My people retrieved it.” He looked seriously at her. “It’s yours. If you want it, of course.” Poor girl glanced at him, then back at crown, completely lost.  
“I don’t understand. Is this a joke?” This was the moment his whole life was depending on. Ben looked at her intently begging to understand.  
“We can do it the short way or the long way.” Rey frowned. “The crown belongs to the next Alderaanian princess,” _oh God, let her understand_ , “if you marry me, it is yours. Or we can do it the long way and date first and if you are free tonight, I’m going to take you out for a dinner. If you want to, I mean,” he babbled anxiously waiting for her response. Rey looked stunned.  
“What? Why? You want to date _me_? A thief, a scavenger, a _criminal_? I came from nothing, I am nothing…”  
“Not to me,” Ben stopped her forcefully. “I see a bright beautiful resourceful young woman who is a fighter and a survivor and mmm…” He didn’t get to finish because that instant Rey’s lips were on his kissing him with all the force she could muster. He responded in kind tugging her pliant body on his lap and groaning when her tiny fingers winded themselves into his hair. When they parted he was met with the most beautiful sight he had ever seen – the woman of his dreams, flushed, with kiss-swollen lips and wide-blown pupils.  
“Rey,” he whispered reverently. She blushed even more.  
“I’m sorry, I just really wanted to do it since yesterday.” And wasn’t it a balm to his ears?  
“You did?” he grinned.  
“U-hu.” His girl smiled back. Or at least tried when a burly man abruptly grabbed her arm and yanked her.   
“What do you think you are doing, girl?! Whorying yourself in broad daylight?!” Ben saw red.  
“Quitting,” he hissed wedging himself between them and shielding Rey protectively.  
“Who the hell are you?” the man spat.  
“His Royal Highness Benjamin Bail Chewbacca Organa-Solo Amidala Naberrie, Prince of Alderaan,” she replied coldly before he even had a chance. The man snorted.  
“Oh, don’t get all mouthy with me, girl. I pay you.” Rey glared at him.  
“Not anymore. I quit.” Ben’s heart swelled with pride for his girl. “And just so you know, your wages are shit and the food is even worse.” She turned abruptly, grabbed Ben’s hand and walked away.   
“What? Where are you?.. Stop! Come back immediately!” the man shouted behind them but they couldn’t care less. Ben felt his face split into goofiest grin, Rey’s mirroring his.  
“So, about that dinner,” he started.  
“Can we…” she looked at him shyly, “do you think we can postpone it?” Ben’s heart fell.  
“Oh?” Rey turned to him, blushing.  
“And go somewhere more private. Where no one will disturb us,” she said meaningfully, her eyes drawn to his lips. Something in Ben’s brain clicked. Oh.  
“Oh. I mean, yes, we can,” he nodded eagerly. “We should. We must.” Rey beamed twining their fingers.   
“Lead the way, Prince Charming.”


End file.
